A blind spot in planning?

Pedestrians, cyclists considered late in
highway improvement project

A week after 200 cyclists amassed on Highway
99 to spotlight connectivity concerns presented by road upgrades, Squamish
council pressured project managers to better an underpass built across Blind
Channel, an effort that produced only a commitment to draw up a feasibility
study in the coming months.

“What the highway design does is absolutely
hostile to pedestrians and cyclists,” said councillor Patricia Heintzman during
this week’s afternoon strategy session. “We have lost a lot with this highway.
We’ve made some gains, but we have lost a lot.”

“We’re now over 70 per cent built on the
highway,” countered Sea to Sky Highway Improvement Project director John
Cavanagh. “This would be a major change, a major structural change, and it’s
just difficult to accommodate.”

According to Squamish council, the underpass
will be vital for public safety in coming years. As the district’s population
balloons in tandem with myriad developments in residential, educational and
industrial sectors, the Blind Channel underpass will offer the only point of
connectivity for residents in Valleycliffe and Hospital Hill to access both
downtown and the north/south trail system without using cars.

Mayor Ian Sutherland was able to wrestle a
commitment from Cavanagh to conduct a feasibility study by July, 2008. But,
when Councillor Corinne Lonsdale suggested that deadline left no time to act on
the study’s findings, Sutherland pushed for completion by the end of May.
Cavanagh could not commit to that deadline.

Controversy surrounding the underpass hinges
mainly on issues of height clearance, lighting and design, all of which are
inadequate for cyclists and safety, critics say.

When faced with these and other criticisms
regarding surface sidewalks, Cavanagh reminded council that there was an
opportunity to vent these concerns four years ago, before construction started
and materials were purchased.

“Those bridges are built now,” he said.

Heintzman acknowledged his point, but said a
safety issue still remains — whether or not council understood the implications
of the project in 2004.

“Now it’s a reality, and we’re seeing it,” she
said. “People didn’t realize there was going to be a cement barrier (in the
middle of the highway). People run across that highway all the time. With a
cement barrier in the middle, it’s a real safety concern.”

Councillor Raj Kahlon told Cavanagh that
council is only trying to take the lead established by the province, which,
with the introduction of a carbon tax, as well as this week’s announcement of a
new act restricting vehicular emissions, is progressively greener.

“We’re just trying to follow up,” he said.

Urgency surrounding the Blind Channel
underpass is very much a product of government spending habits. According to
Sutherland, once the $600 million highway is complete, funding for overhauls
will be a long time coming — until 2020, he suggested.

“We do know that would be the next time we get
looked at by any government agency,” Sutherland added.

Cavanagh said the economics would have to
support the district’s agenda. The feasibility study would establish what he
called “warrants.” If pedestrian traffic at Blind Channel is significant, then
the numbers will warrant a modification of the existing structure.

Cavanagh was joined by Ministry of
Transportation colleagues Mike Proudfoot, assistant deputy minister, and Tracy
Cooper, regional director for the South Coast Regional Office.

In addition to Blind Channel, a number of
other issues were raised, most with far less tension than that of the
underpass. Cavanagh explained progress on the Apron Trail, which wends between
the Squamish Chief and the Stawamus River.

Speed limits were also broached. According to Sutherland,
limits of 60 or 70 km/h in Lions Bay should hold true in Squamish, where limits
could be set at 80 or 90 km/h. Cavanaugh said further discussion on that topic
is needed.